An integrated device of electrodialytic membrane suppressor and charge detector for ion chromatography

An integrated device of electrodialytic membrane suppressor and charge detector (CHD) for ion chromatography (IC) is described, aiming to simplify system complexity and reduce possible extra-column dispersion as well. The device is a flow-through design consisting of five chambers isolated by ion exchange membranes and ionic screens. Two independent electric sources are used to respectively supply CHD and suppressor sections of the device, and a common electrode serves both the cathode of CHD and the anode of suppressor simultaneously. The integrated device has similar performance as a separate suppressor or a CHD while its dead volume and dispersion are reduced ∼18% and ∼37% compared with the combination of a CHD and a suppressor. To our knowledge, this is the first description of such an integrated device with dual functionalities of suppression and CHD.